Now, call me an old fuddy-duddy, but as an early adopter of the Internet (first pages published mid-90s) I've seen most of the good, bad and ugly of the web and social media even before it was called that.
I've seen trends and fads come and go. MySpace, CompuServe, OzEmail, Lycos etc
As a former university photojournalism lecturer, I do believe I have an eye. Two in fact. And both give me the same feedback when I see some Instagram feeds.
I'm singling out Instagram because it is the pre-eminent visual social media tool and one that seems to be 'hot' right now. Okay, and Pinterest. But let's stick with Instagram.
Perhaps I'm not the right guy to be jabbering on about Instagram as I have a pathetic number of followers and I don't own a swimwear range and would fail the Men's Health cover model test. Badly.
Now, there's an old quote that says "I don't know much about art, but I know what I like (or hate)" and the same goes for me. Especially on Instagram.
Just like in travel writing, the same goes for images. Same old subject matter. Same compositional treatment. Same filter overdose. Same narcissistic crap.
What am I on about exactly? Well, here's a collection of images that would definitely NOT get my click of approval.
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| It might have been clever once, but now .. not so much. Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Sphinx, Devils' Marbles. Give it a rest. Okay, the LEGO one is funny, but now that you've seen it, you're just a copycat. |
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| Unless you have the body of a deity, leave it alone. Please |
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| Eeks! Throttle off the HDR filter. That 'Woodstock' effect is way too much. |
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| Are you endorsing a leg wax? Then don't. |
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| Centering our chakra, are we? Spare me. |
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| Have to 'hand' it to the guy you started this craze, but now I want to shoot him. Let go already! |
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| Hey Moses, did you just part the Red Sea? Nuh. |
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| Got tickets on yourself? Unless you are a proper A-Lister, give us a break. |
The best Instagram feeds IMHO are those that surprise. Be original. Be new. Be dazzling. No one likes a copycat. Even if you only have 12 followers from your knitting circle.
Want to pick me to pieces? Go ahead. Here's my Instagram.
